Posts Tagged: Robbin Thorp
Drama in the Pollinator Patch
So here's this newly eclosed male monarch trying to sip a little nectar from a Mexican sunflower...
A pollen-packing female longhorned bee, probably Melissodes agilis (as identified by Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis) wants the same flower that the male monarch has claimed. This is a Mexican sunflower, genus Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Just a blur, a male longhorned bee, probably Meliossodes agilis, targets a monarch. The monarch's wings are deformed; they did not fully expand. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
What's Better than Sighting a Bumble Bee?
What's better than sighting a yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii? Well, a newly emerged...
A newly emerged yellow-faced bumble bee queen, Bombus vosnesenskii, eyes the photographer as it forages on blanket flower (Gaillardia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Yellow-faced bumble bee shows its distinguishing marks. This is a queen Bombus vosnesenskii, about 21mm long. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Up and away! A distinguishing feature of Bombus vosnesenskii is the yellow stripe, T4 segment of its thorax. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
That Cuddly Teddy Bear Bee
Oh, that cuddly teddy bear. The male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, also known as...
A male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, sipping nectar from a broadleaf milkweed, Asclepias speciosa. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A male Valley carpenter bee, aka teddy bear bee, claims a blossom. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Sweet stuff! A male Valley carpenter bee curls to grab some nectar from a broadleaf milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch butterfly flutters in, but the male Valley carpenter bee refuses to budge. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bed and Breakfast for a Bumble Bee
We just met a male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus. It was early morning and he was...
Male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, resting on a blanket flower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Dorsal view of a male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, on a blanket flower, Gaillardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Male black-faced bumble bee, Bombus californicus, tastes the nectar from a blanket flower. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Most Unusual Photo
It's an incredible photo. Nicole "Nikki" Nicola, a staff research associate in the Frank Zalom lab...
Male and female of the same species, Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipunta, share a single passionflower blossom. The female is solid black and the male, a green-eyed blond. (Photo by Nicole Nicola)
A pollen-dusted female Valley carpenter bee exits the passionflower vine. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Male Valley carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, on a germander bush. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)